In response to my mention of the reprise of La Belle
Hélène now at the Théàtre Châtelet
in Paris on my opera internet group, a respondent wrote back sarcastically,
"is this the "brilliant" production I saw where everyone
was in beach chairs?" A brief look in the Penguin Opera Guide confirms
the following: "Act III: The royals have gone to the beach for
their holidays." Finally, it was Offenbach and his librettists,
Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, who scandalized the writer,
not the current staging. I am sure they would be delighted to know they
are still annoying the haute bourgeois.
As one who has spent his entire adult life steering
clear of Offenbach – other than those unavoidable tunes in common coin
– I must admit to being entirely seduced by this operetta and its dazzling
production recorded on this DVD. I was entertained by the lively, sophisticated
wit: the parodies of grand opera, the skewering of the stories of the
Greek Gods. Then there is the story of Hélène herself
- an unsatisfied wife looking for love - which is touching in its humor
and truth. Laurent Pelly deals with these themes with a perceptiveness
that belies his youth. He has updated some references to Belle Époque
events and added modern visual elements (the Greek chorus in this opera
is a band of dressed-down tourists following a guide holding high a
sign reading "Odyssey Tours.") But the overriding genius here
is in the irreverent wit of the libretto and in the impossible-to-resist
music of Offenbach.
Minkowski, with his own band, Les Musiciens du Louvre,
in the pit, conducts this work with all the care and devotion as if
it were Mozart. His talent as a conductor is now a matter of record
and his evident pleasure in bringing this particular piece to the stage
engages the entire troupe. The production is further distinguished by
high-energy, inventive and whimsical ballet sequences (one with nuzzling,
dancing sheep) by Laura Scozzi. Acclaimed – and recorded – during last
holiday season at the Théàtre du Châtelet, it won
the French critics’ award as best production last year.
Singing the role of Hélène, the most
beautiful woman in the world, is soprano Felicity Lott in a role of
a lifetime. Masterfully played, no one is her equal in suavity and grace
she brought to the role. Her voice, more used to Strauss than Offenbach,
made the adjustment perfectly and her comic style and charm made her
the ideal leading lady. Except for the title role, all the other cast
members are French and testify to the growing importance of their conservatory
system in producing fine talent. These young singers came up from the
ranks of Baroque performance for the most part and deliver the music
with clarity and precision. The clear and light tenor of Yann Beuron
worked well for the role of Paris and the unstoppable tenor legend Michel
Sénéchal – in his sixth decade on stage - was perfect
as Ménélas, the old husband and King of Sparta.
In the role of the grand augur Calchas, François
Le Roux wielded his handsome and powerful baritone in a futile effort
to maintain a level of sanity on stage. Mezzo Marie-Ange Torodovitch
is the over-heated nephew, Oreste and Eric Huchet, Alain Gabriel and
Laurent Alvaro merrily camp it up as the three kings, Achille, Ajax
I and Ajax II. The excellent French baritone Laurent Naouri is Agamemnon.
It is one of those all too rare evenings when somehow,
magically, the assembled forces unite to create an operatic jewel. It
is a performance that bears repeated viewing – a classic work with a
staging that reveals something new each time you watch it. It has subtitles
available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian and excellent
and very alive Stereo, AC3 Digital 5.0 or DTS 5.0 sound and letterbox
format. Also included are interviews with Dame Felicity, Marc Minkowski,
Laurent Pelly and Jean-Pierre Brossman, the Châtelet director.
The booklet, in English, German and French, gives the timings and plot
synopsis.
Frank Cadenhead
Les Musiciens du Louvre
– Grenoble 
,
[127 min. (opera), 26 min. (interviews)]